Frugal Living - Meet 'Stripey'
Hatching Eggs in Homemade Incubators

Our first Silkie chick, hatched 04/03/09
Handy Books

My incubators each comprise a polystyrene box, a 10w halogen lightbulb, a fan (the type used in desktop computers), a thermostat and a small glass viewing panel. They run off a 12v convertor plugged into the mains electricity. They cost less than £25..

When asked what came first, the chicken or the egg, I need to say, 'THE EGG'. That's the order I've done things - First the incubator, then the egg, then the chicks. My first experimental hatching resulted in only one Silkie chick out of half a dozen eggs. My next experiment was buying a dozen mixed eggs without knowing what types of hens laid them. It was a great guessing game. This chick was one of 6 that hatched from the mixed dozen. They were incubated alongside 6 blue Lavender Araucana eggs and when 'Stripey' hatched out, a bit of comparing online photographs suggested it was a Welsummer chick. However, this is the tale of 'Stripey' as it unfolds.
05/03/09 - The mixed dozen eggs before going into the incubator. None of these blue/green eggs hatched. 08/03/09 - 18 eggs in the incubator, the mixed dozen plus 6 blue eggs from purebred lavender Araucanas. (The smaller, pale blue eggs.)
24/03/09 - 19 days later, the first white egg has 'pipped' and we can hear the chick peeping and chirping from inside the shell. 25/03/09 - The first 3 eggs have hatched already, one pure bred Araucana, the brown speckley egg and a white egg.
25/03/09 - Stripey peering out through the incubator viewing panel, Lavender Araucana chick looking over from the back. 25/03/09 - Stripey, top right, showing off the stripes. I can't be sure which egg was Stripeys other than it was either brown or white, I'm guessing brown.
25/03/09 - This is 'Stripey'. It looks a bit like a Welsummer chick. It has a pale throat patch and definite brown stripes and eye lines. 25/03/09 - Stripey showing the chestnut and black mottled effect and clearly defined eye stripe. You can just see the stripes behind its head.
25/03/09 - Stripey chick alongside some of the other hatchlings, including the two purebred Lavender Araucana chicks. 01/04/09 - Stripey has wing feathers and the beginnings of a tail. It's feathering up much quicker than the other chicks.
08/04/09 - Stripey seen here on the right hand side, getting to grips with roosting. 09/04/09 - Stripey is turning a bright chestnut colour down its chest and has black & chestnut wings.
09/04/09 - I can't believe it took us this length of time to notice that Stripey has green legs! That changes everything, as it looks like the Araucana cockeral could be dad. The black chick is the same. 10/04/09 - Good Friday and Stripey had his/her first experience of being outside. I made a haybox brooder and took all the chicks out into the small run where they were able to get out onto grass.
19/04/09 - Stripey is convincing me it's a hen and will be staying in the hope that she lays blue eggs, possibly being half Araucana. 30/04/09 - Stripey hasn't many stripes left and is looking and acting like a hen. These chicks are now all outside in the run using a haybox brooder.
06/06/09 - Stripey has no stripes left, only some spangle marks. Still looking good as a hen at 10 weeks old. ('Ned the Thug' in the background.) 06/06/09 - Stripey has a very destinctive face, with huge 'sideburns'. She still has her green legs, it remains to be seen if she'll lay blue eggs.
21/07/09 - Now 17 weeks old, she's out and about in the garden, spot those blue/green legs! 04/02/10 - Stripey watching the sheep. She's a friendly hen that lays regular brown eggs.

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